888poker

888poker - New Poker Site Replaces Pacific Poker

When 888 Holdings Plc decided to consolidate all of its online gaming activities under a single brand, its Casino-on-Net became 888.com and was joined by 888ladies bingo, 888backgammon, and 888sport. However, the company’s poker web site, Pacific Poker, was one of the Internet’s originals and had established such a strong presence by itself, a decision was taken to create a new poker room, leading to the emergence of 888poker early 2010.

The new poker site has become an immediate hit with its "3-D experience" and grown by leaps and bounds, featuring both a downloadable application and a "No Download" version. Since 1997, the Gibraltar-based 888 Group has catered to more than 25 million people worldwide, hosting thousands of poker enthusiasts at any given time of day or night.

Games to Play

The "Quick Start Wizard" offered by 888poker gets games up and running at the click of a button. Players can select preferred criteria for the games they enjoy to enable either Ring games or Tournaments. For the former, preferences include No Limit, Fixed Limit and Pot Limit cash games. The maximum number of players at the table can also be preset, as can the stakes, which are indicated by the Small Blind/Big Blind amounts in each table. Having preset the criteria, hereafter al it takes to be seated and play is a click on the "Play Now" button.

Another time saver is the ability to select a maximum buy-in option by checking the box titled "Buy me in with maximum chips". Players who do so are automatically seated at the optimum place at the table, i.e. the first space available to the left of the Big Blind, with max chips according the table limits.

Similarly, preferences for Sit & Go tournaments can also be prearranged by selecting the type of tournament desired, number of players per table, and the amount of the initial buy-in. Clicking on "Open Lobby" will take the player directly to the desired tournament waiting area.

Five different game tabs are offered in the lobby: Hold’em, Omaha Hi, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7-Stud, and 7-Stud Hi/Lo. Besides Ring and Sit & Go games, there are tabs for Multi-Table Tournaments and Jackpots. The Quick Start tab is also located on the far right of the lobby window. The software is provided not only in English but also more than 20 other languages, including Japanese, Russian, Chinese, and Greek as well as languages using the Anglo-French alphabet, from German and Spanish to Danish, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, and more.

Play at the Ring game tables goes 24/7, with new rooms opening anytime two or more players are seated at a table. Playing in scheduled tournaments can be booked in advance from the lobby, and there is a function that allows players to see who else has entered prior to signing up. All games are available in the risk-free "Practice Play" mode, as well as for "Real Money".

Bonuses to Claim

Other new player promotions include First Depositors Freerolls worth $3,500 and a $50K First Depositors’ Challenge. Dozens of other bonuses are being launched all the time for existing players, from a bounty of $1,000 for beating Leo Margets, one of the hottest female stars on the poker circuit, to an opportunity to turn 8¢ into $30,000, iPads and more.

At the heart of 888poker’s promotions is its loyalty scheme. Everyone who plays at the tables here receives points based on the rake accumulated. As points are accumulated, players move up a six-wrung ladder, collecting bigger and better rewards at each step, including exclusive promotions, special VIP bonuses, hospitality events, access to the 888poker Rewards Store, and more. The store exchanges gadgets and souvenirs such as football shirts, poker merchandise, electronics, an even holiday packages.